


Blue Eyes and Beautiful Secrets

by Penn_Dragon



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, I just really like AUs okay, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mythical Beings & Creatures, There aren't enough long kirugon chaper fics in the world, siren!au, so i had to take matters into my own hands
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-20 00:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2408465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penn_Dragon/pseuds/Penn_Dragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gon never expected to get caught under a siren's spell, and much less to be let out of the situation alive. Soon his search for answers gets him deeply tangle in secrets he never knew existed, and it is still unclear where this situation will land him. (Abandoned)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Siren's Song

**Author's Note:**

> So this was originally going to be a one shot for a drawing I did, but I got really inspired and decided to continue it. Which is why this first chapter is relatively short, they'll be longer after this. Enjoy!

Panicked shouts filled the air. The sound of heavy boots pounding against wooden boards as sailors swarmed around the deck, struggling in vain to resist the alluring songs whispered in their ears and keep the ship afloat.

Gon watched on in horror.

He was stupid, he was cocky. He knew these waters were infested with monsters but he’d let them sail through it anyway. He was foolish enough to think they could protect themselves. That he could protect them. And now he stood, glued to the spot, watching the crew be torn from the ship. He could have stopped this. He could have told the captain to turn around, to take a detour. It would have taken another day to reach their destination, but then Gon wouldn't be lunging forward, a warning cry dying on his tongue, as another of his friends, a sailor he’d slept with, ate with, laughed with, scrambled over the side of the ship, straining for a beauty beyond his reach.

Gon's chest felt tight. He couldn't breath. This was his fault. His friends were dying because he was overconfident. He wasn't going to let this end them. No more of his friends were going to die in front of him. Gon grit his teeth and stepped forward, muscles tensing in expectation of a fight, coiled like springs beneath his skin.

_Gon~_

A voice sung his name, soft but clear, as if the cacophony all around him was nothing, white noise.

_Go~on_

Gon spun around on the spot, desperate to find the source of the silky voice whispering in his ear. The figure of a young boy perched on the ships rail stopped him. The figure was transparent, its form shifting as though it was made from water. Glowing white eyes fixed on Gon. Only Gon. The figure smiled, a sight that sent a shiver tingling up Gon's spine, and raised one hand to beckon him closer. Gon's mouth went dry and he swallowed, a sudden insatiable need to get closer welling up inside him, driving his heavy legs to work.

_Gon._

Who was this boy? What was he doing here? With the sirens all around? He was in danger. Gon had to protect him. Gon moved forward almost robotically, letting his body carry him forward on its own. But where had he come from? This ocean was teeming with monsters of all kinds, but surely this boy wasn’t one of them. Nothing this elegant could be dangerous. Not when white eyes were staring at him with such intensity, such persuasion. Gon wanted to keep those eyes on him. To make sure they never looked at anyone else.

_Gon._

His movements were only stilled when he ran into something solid. The edge of the ship. Unable to continue forward, Gon gripped the railing with both hands and leaned out, not noticing or caring how the wood was digging into his stomach. The figure was just in front of him now, standing atop the water as though it were solid ground. Close. So close. Just out of reach. If he just leaned forward a little more…

_Gon._

The boy laughed, and if it wasn’t the most beautiful sound Gon had ever heard then the world was a much grander place than he’d ever care to imagine.

_Gon._

The screams of his shipmates and the dangerous creaking of the boat fell on deaf ears. It didn’t matter. Not the ship, not his own safety, not the lives of his friends. All that mattered were the luminous eyes and the translucent lips forming his name again.

_“Gon!”_

A voice, from behind him, registered at the edges of his mind. Familiar. He thinks it belongs to someone he’s close to, but that doesn’t matter because the boy is reaching out to him now. Delicate hands moving to comb over his face and neck. Close, so close, but still not quite touching him. His cells burned with the need to know what those hands felt like against his skin. The urge to get closer driving him to lean further over the edge, but still the boy remained tantalizingly out of reach.

_“Gon! Stop!”_

He thinks that they’re calling for him, they must need him for something. But they can wait because he’s busy right now, because the boy is smiling at him and he’s so close, and if Gon could just jump out and stand on top of the water like he is, then Gon could reach him.

_“GON!”_

_Gon._

His muscles are aching and his blood is boiling with need. The need to move forward, the need to get closer, the need to grab the other boy and never let him go. His name. The voice behind him and the voice in his ear. Both are calling to him and he’s not sure who to go to. Screaming, there’s so much screaming. But he can’t hear it because the voice is whispering in his ear again and his head is filled with singing, singing, singing.

And then it all stops.

The boy is no longer smiling, he’s fixed Gon with a calculating look like Gon is a math problem he’s never seen before. He’s still staring but his eyes are no longer white, they’ve changed, seeped into a deeper blue color. The driving compulsion to move forward is gone and Gon is left unable to move, unable to breath, as the eyes of the boy his unclouded mind now recognizes as a siren rake over him. Then, the siren turns and dives beneath the waves, leaving not so much as a ripple in his wake.

Gon gazed at the spot where the siren disappeared, confusion slowly seeping into him as his senses return. Rough hands grasp his shoulders and yank him away from the edge of the ship and Gon found himself looking up into the livid faces of his two closest friends.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing!” Leorio bellowed, shaking Gon by the shoulders for emphasis.

“We told you not to come out here without blocking your ears, you knew what we were up against.” The other, Kurapika, continued in a calm voice, the slight tremor of his hand on Gon’s bicep the only thing giving away how worried he really was. “You were almost killed.”

“Yeah, but-” Gon glanced around the deck. The sirens had disappeared just as quickly as they had come and the remaining crew members milled to the center, regrouping and mourning for their lost companions. Gon brought his eyes back to his two friends. “Why _didn’t_ he kill me?”


	2. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a bit of artistic liberty on sirens to fit with the story line, so my mythology won't be totally accurate. ^^; just a heads up.  
> The drawing for this chapter is [here](http://penn-dragon.tumblr.com/post/99997179659/remember-who-said-they-were-going-to-continue-that/)

A week passed, then a month, then two, and Gon had yet to stop thinking about the mysterious siren who’d spared his life. He was confused, curious, and stubborn as hell. He wanted to know why a creature notorious for enchanting men and dragging them to their deaths had stared at him like he was the strange creature, then let him go, and he wasn’t going to stop until he got a sufficient answer.

Thus he ended up sprawled across the couch of his friends’ apartment, barely touched book about mystical creatures abandoned in his lap in favor of whining up at the ceiling like a bored child.

“Research is too hard!” He moaned, throwing on arm over his eyes to block out the brightly lit room. There was a soft sigh somewhere to his right and the chink of a teacup being placed on its saucer.

“Don’t you think you’re taking this a little too far, Gon?” Kurapika’s voice was as calm and collected as always, though Gon knew he was probably irritated at this point. Gon shifted his arm so he could peer at the older boy from beneath it.

“I just want to know why he let me live.”

“We know.” Leorio grumbled from behind his coffee mug. “It’s all you’ve been talking about for two months. Why don’t you leave that monster in the ocean where it belongs?”

“But don’t you think it’s weird?” Gon flopped over onto his stomach, the forgotten book tumbling gracelessly to the floor. He earned a small glare from Kurapika for that, the bibliophile immediately picked up the book and set it neatly on the coffee table. “He had me right where he wanted me. I was done for, but he just.. Stopped…”

“Maybe you weren’t his type.”

Gon allowed his eyes to drift back up to the ceiling, considering this possibility, then glanced back down at Leorio. “Then why did he go after me in the first place?”

Leorio shook his head and reached for the newspaper he’d bought earlier that day, opening it to a random page. “I don’t know, Honey.” He retorted. “But don’t call him, let him call you. We don’t want you to seem too desperate.”

Gon stared at his friend, brow creasing with mild confusion. “I don’t think sirens have cell phones, Leorio.” The older man gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes and Gon felt he’d missed some sort of joke. He groaned. “I just wish someone would tell me what happened.”

Kurapika sighed again, he’d been doing that a lot lately, and Gon turned to look at the fairer of his two friends. Kurapika closed his eyes and massaged his temple with two fingers. “I was hoping you’d have give up on this by now, but as you seem intent on following it through, I have no choice but to tell you.”

Gon sat up quickly, interest peaked. He glanced at Leorio who seemed just as confused as he was, then directed his full attention back to Kurapika who was rummaging through one of his desk drawers. He returned holding out a small slip of paper.

“There’s an expert on magical beasts speaking at the library today.” He slipped the card into Gon’s hand and the sailor turned it over, examining the information:

_Discussion: Magical Beasts_

_Characteristics, Behavior, Defense_

_11am Hali Public Library_

_$5 admiration fee_

"If you go, he might be able to answer your questions." A grin broke out across Gon's face and he jumped from his seat to grab his friend's hand in his excitement.

"Thank you, Kurapika!" Kurapika's pale brown eyes searched his face for a split second, then he waved his free hand dismissively.

"It's nothing. Go get ready, you only have a couple hours."

The bus ride to the library wasn't a long one, but it had Gon bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently every time they stopped at a red light. He bit his lip and stared out the window, hoping that this would somehow speed up time.  When he finally made it to the library and paid his fee his patience was dangerously frayed, but the room was warm and the chairs were comfortable so Gon relaxed and settled in quickly. Other people slowly filtered in, filling up the seats around him. A young woman took the seat next to Gon, she smiled and greeted him, he’d seen her around town, but they’d never talked before. He easily returned the pleasantries and they exchanged small talk for the remaining time before the speaker came.

Finally, the discussion began... And it was boring. The expert was a small red-haired man named Pokkle. He was interesting enough and Gon could tell he knew what he was talking about, but none this was important to him. The explanations were long and complicated, Gon just couldn’t follow them. The warmth of the room was working against him now making it harder and harder to focus on the lecture being given.

“-Eastern Warbler is most prevalent in-”

Boring.

“-roblem is they tend to prey on-”

Sleep. Blue eyes, singing.

“-to keep them at bay, you just-”

Warm. Warm and tired.

“-re called sirens. They feed off-”

This caught his attention. Gon jolted into awareness, spine going rigid as he chastised himself for nodding off. “Wait! Can you repeat that?” The young lady sitting next to him jolted at his sudden outburst and multiple heads turned to watch him. The expert, Pokkle, narrowed his eyes, none to pleased with being interrupted. He repeated the statement nonetheless.

“The most terrifying and deadly creatures in the Barren Ocean are called sirens. They feed off the life energy of humans. They lure their prey into the water by singing. It is uncertain how, but their voices can enchant people to the point of giving up their own lives in order to chase after them.

“Sirens often target sailors, who have been cut off from civilization for extended periods of time, thus making them easy prey, and they seem to enjoy consuming the entire body, although that is probably unnecessary for their survival.” Pokkle hesitated and glanced at Gon, as if assuring himself that he wouldn’t be interrupted again. “We know very little about sirens which is part of what makes them so dangerous. What little information we have has been gleaned from a handful of shipwreck survivors. As far as we know they have no weaknesses and are virtually impossible to kill, the only defense we can propose is to stay far away from their territory." He turned to trace a large circle under the map behind him. "This is the circumference around the areas where there have been reported siren attacks. As long as they avoid this area the ships should be safe." The expert turned back to his audience and ruffled absentmindedly through the papers set on the podium in front of him. “Of course this isn’t the most foolproof method ever proposed, after all, the sirens can simply expand their hunting grounds, but for now this is the best option. It will at least buy the shipping routes some time until we can learn more about these monsters.

"Now this change in route could disrupt the migration patterns of certain other species-"

Gon stopped listening after that. The rest of the lecture passed by in a blur. Pokkle probably kept talking, but he also could have stood on his podium with one leg in the air, juggling the heads of the first row and Gon wouldn't have noticed.

Even the expert said that sirens were terrifying creatures that viewed humans as prey. So why had his siren let him go? Gon couldn't figure it out, it made no sense to him... but maybe he just wasn't smart enough? Maybe it wasn't such a tough question after all, but he just didn’t have the right knowledge to answer it. Gon decided he should stay after the lecture, once everyone else had left. Then maybe he could talk to the expert himself and get some answers. Gon nodded to himself and settled into his chair, resolving to be there for a while.

The people left quickly after the lecture ended, it seemed no one really wanted to stick around. Gon waited with as much patience as he could muster for the rest to leave. When the room was empty save for the expert and himself, Gon stood. The young scientist was shuffling through his papers again, changing their order and folding corners down. He jumped a bit when Gon addressed him, he probably hadn't noticed there was someone else still in the room.

"Mr. Pokkle?" The expert eyed him up and down, no doubt noticing it was the same person who'd interrupted him before.

"Yes?" He answered after a moment of hesitation.

"I have some questions about sirens and I was hoping you'd be able to answer them." This seemed to throw the other man for a loop and his eyes widened slightly.

"Sirens?" It sounded almost like a scoff. "Why would you want to know about them."

Good question.

Gon shrugged. "Just curious, I guess."

Pokkle let out an irritable huff of breath. "As I said before, sirens are basically a mystery, we know almost nothing about them, but I'll try to answer your questions as best I can." Gon smiled, it was something at least.

"Well, first off, you said that all the information you have came from sailors that survived siren attacks, right?" Pokkle nodded his head and Gon continued. "How did they escape?"

Pokkle closed his eyes and leaned most of his weight on the podium beside him. "Dumb luck. Shoved into the ocean by a frenzied shipmate and swept away before anything could happen to them, happened to not be picked as prey, looked less filling than the rest of their crew mates, you name it."

"So none of them were enchanted then?" Pokkle stared at him like he'd grown another head and Gon raised his hands in defense. "Just wondering."

"Of course not. If they'd been enchanted they'd have been eaten."

That didn't sound promising.

"Has a siren ever.. Let someone go?" Gon felt a bit stupid asking since the question had basically been answered, and the feeling only got worse when the scientist's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Not that's ever been reported."

"So if a siren did ever let someone go, what would that mean?" The look Pokkle was giving him didn't waver.

"It's not unheard of for a predator to release its prey after catching it, if it decides the prey isn't satisfying enough, or it just wanted the thrill of the chase. Hypothetically, the same could be true with sirens." The next words were out of his mouth before Gon really had a chance to think about them.

"But sirens are like humans, right, not top predators? That's not a very human way to think." This was obviously the wrong thing to say because the suspicious spark in Pokkle's eye burst into a flame and he spoke in short clipped sentences.

"They are not human. They are beasts. They don't think like us. they don't have a sense of mercy. Humans are nothing but their food source." Gon swallowed, thinking he should change directions, he turned to the map Pokkle have shown them.

"So if this is where there have been siren attacks, that probably means they live somewhere in here, right?" This question did not have the desired effect and in fact only seemed to increase the suspicion in the young scientist's eyes. There was long stretch of time where Pokkle simply stared at Gon, not moving, not saying anything. Eventually, Pokkle sighed, fixing Gon with a sharp gaze.

"Look, kid. I don't know what you're planning, and frankly, I don't want to, but I'm going to warn you right now. Stay. Away. From those sirens. If you go searching for them, you're just going to end up dead."  

Gon cast his gaze down, away from the other man, then back up a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. "But that's the thing. I don't think I will."

It took Gon the lesser part of a day to come up with a stupid idea, and two more to put it into action. Scraping together what was left of his money he bought a small fishing boat. Gon figured that if he wanted substantial answers he was just going to have to find out for himself.

This wasn’t a good plan in any form of the word, but Gon wasn’t really thinking about the  consequences. His head was filled with blue eyes and silky words, and any negative effects could be dealt with later. He had enough sense to keep it secret from Leorio and Kurapika though. He knew if they heard what he was planning to do they would call him a moron and try to talk him out of it, and when that didn’t work, stubborn as he was, they’d insist on coming. That was something he could not let happen, he wouldn’t put them in danger like that again. Laying his life on the line? Nothing, easy. But not his friends, never his friends.

So it was early in the morning when Gon slipped from his small apartment and stole down to the docks in order to prepare his small vessel for the journey he had planned for it. It would take him the better part of two days to get where he was going. His friends wouldn’t question it. Gon often disappeared for days on end, hopping into one small adventure or another. It was just a part of being him. He couldn’t stay in one place too long, it made him restless. He’d left a note on his door saying he’d be gone for a little while and that was that. They’d think nothing of it.

The sun just peeking up over the horizon was turning the sky a light pink, the breeze wafting in from the sea was crisp and fresh, and Gon was happy. He was excited and giddy and he wasn’t sure why. He knew he’d probably get bored during the travel, but he figured the result just might be worth it. He had a hunch that he was doing the right thing, and his hunches were almost never wrong.

When Gon reached the Barren sea it was around noon on his second day of sailing. He sat down cross legged in the middle of the ship and started to realize how unthought-out his plan really was. While he still felt finding the siren was the best plan of action, he had absolutely no way to do that. The Barren sea was enormous and filled to the brim with various dangerous creatures. There was no way for him to lure his siren other than to just sit here in his boat like a worm on a hook and it was only a one in a million chance that the right fish would take him before something else did. Gon groaned slightly at his own impulsiveness, willing luck to smile on him. It seemed a little pointless.

Hours trickled by and Gon just sat feeling the boat bob up and down in the gentle waves and waiting for something, anything, to happen. Nothing did. The sun was hanging heavily over the horizon behind him when he finally considered giving up. He hadn’t really expected his siren to pop up out of nowhere, greet him like an old friend and stay for tea and cookies, but he was hoping something would happen. Gon could be extremely patient when he wanted to be, but after hours of  seeing nothing but the glistening waves cresting then disappearing he was getting a bit fidgety. Finally, he stood up, deciding to get out of the Barren sea before resting, and that was when he felt it.

A massive curl of blood lust wrapped around Gon a heartbeat before deep singing filled his head. It was a siren. Gon knew it was a siren, but it wasn't _his_ siren. The song kept twisting through his mind and it was so different, so terrifying. The first siren song he'd heard had been soft, even sultry. It had made him weak in the knees and filled him with the driving need to move forward, to touch. This song terrified him, it made him want to curl up and hide and never come out. The song didn't cloud his senses or do anything to cover the obvious killing intent behind it. When the siren finally showed itself, leaning over the railing with a blank look, staring at him with dead white eyes, Gon felt glued to the spot. The siren, another male, cocked his head so his long hair flowed down over his shoulder. He raised a finger and crooked it, silently ordering Gon to come towards him. Gon took a step back instead. The siren opened his mouth slightly in what looked like a shadow of surprise then disappeared. Before Gon could even register the change cold hands were digging into his shoulders grasping his shirt and dragging him backwards into the ocean.

The sudden iciness of the water nearly made Gon gasp, he resisted but couldn't stop the accompanying exhale releasing precious oxygen to the surface in a burst of bubble. Under normal circumstances, Gon could hold his breath for a long time, but the fear had prevented him from getting a good breadth, and he could already feel his head beginning to spin.

He struggle in vain against the vice like grip, but the siren was far stronger  than he. The siren shifted, loosening his hold on Gon for only a moment to reverse their positions so he loomed over top of Gon.

 _"Interesting."_ A cold voice spoke inside his head as the siren twisted one hand into the back of his hair and placed the other flat against his chest. _"You've been under a siren's spell before. That's very interesting."_

The siren brought his face closer to Gon's and he felt a throb of repulsion in his chest. He dislike the siren. His cold touch, his blank eyes, the way his mouth was far to close to Gon's now. He had to look  away from the siren to keep from feeling sick. Up towards the surface where he just barely still see the light of the sunset. It was too far away.

 _"I wonder who it was that failed? ... Well, no matter. That will just make this all the more satisfying."_ Gon could barely tell what the siren was saying now. A low ringing  picked up in his ears and black shadows were flickering on the edges of his vision. He struggled weakly once more to break free but the siren held tight a tiny smile now playing at his lips.

The ringing grew louder and his lungs burned with the need to breath. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought: 'I'm going to die.' Then, just before the unconsciousness took hold, the cold hands released him, and Gon thought he say a flash of blue eyes, but it was probably just his oxygen-starved mind playing tricks. Everything went dark.

As Gon flickered back into consciousness, the first thing he noticed was how cold and uncomfortable he was. His clothes were soaked through, his mouth tasted gritty like seawater, and his lungs felt raw, aching with every little breath he took. The second was the breathtaking young man a ways away from him, kneeling in front of a clear pool of water. Gon watched with  wrapped attention and the boy cupped the water in his hands and washed his face with it, running long, wet fingers back through his white hair. When he opened his eyes to look at his reflection, Gon's breath caught in his throat and he just knew he owed his life to this boy for a second time.

"You look human now." The siren startled at his hoarse voice and turned to meet his gaze. They simply stared at each other for a moment before the other boy narrowed his eyes and spoke carefully.

"What makes you think I'm not human?" Gon raised his eyebrows at this.

"I know you're not." The other boy sighed.

"Well, maybe you drank too much seawater and started to hallucinate." The siren stood, turning his head away, and Gon took the chance to study him from head to toe. He was very tall and lithe, his skin was smooth and pale like porcelain. He wore a robe of light blue fabric that wrapped over one shoulder and pooled in piles around his feet, it reminded Gon of the outfits he'd seen on statues in that museum Kurapika had dragged him to once. His features seemed so delicate but Gon knew the siren could overpower him easily.

“Thanks.” He said finally, causing the siren to turn back towards him. “For saving me I mean. That’s twice now.” The siren stared at him, clear blue eyes unwavering, and Gon felt his stomach do a small flip.

“One time.” He replied. “The first time I just didn’t eat you, I hardly count that as saving you.”

“Yeah, but you could have killed me, and you didn’t, that counts for something in my books, so I’ll have to make it up to you.” Gon grinned and the siren fell silent again, just watching him. Gon took this as an opportunity to study their surroundings. They were in a shallow cave, maybe fifteen feet wide and thirty deep. Three clear pools of water sat embedded in the stone floors, one across from him, where the siren stood, one near the back of the cave, and one about ten feet to his left. He could hear the ocean lapping over rocks nearby but from what he could tell it was pretty late into the night so he couldn’t make out anything outside of the cave. “Where are we?”

“A small island in between the Barren Sea and the mainland.” The siren’s voice was further away now and Gon turned to see he had moved to the other side of the cave and sat down. “I had to drag your half-drowned ass here after I got rid of Illumi, and then go back for your ship, so you better be grateful.” Gon gave him another grin in reply, which quickly gave way to curiosity.

“Illumi was the siren that found me?” The siren nodded.

“Yeah, my older brother.” That gave Gon pause for a moment.

“How’d you get him to let me go?” The siren smirked to himself, like he was remember a funny joke, and Gon thinks his heart might have skipped a beat.

“I told him you were my prey, and that your friends had dragged you away before I could finish you off. He called me incompetent and asked me how I was going to become the head of our family if I couldn’t even finish off one sailor properly. I told him if he killed you for me I would tell Mother, and she’d be angry with him. I got him to leave by saying I didn’t want to share you with him, and that I didn’t trust him to not jump in. After that I brought you here. I’ll probably get punished, but I couldn’t let Illumi finish a hunt for me.”

“Ah.” Gon leaned his head back against the cool stone.

The siren propped his head up on his hand, a slightly bored expression twisting his pretty features. “You know, when most people get out of a life and death situation they run away and avoid coming into contact with that threat ever again. You must have the most rotten luck ever to have ended up back in the Barren sea, and in Illumi’s territory no less. Man, I’d hate to be you.”

“I was looking for you.” This made the siren sit up straight, not even trying to withhold his shock.

“Are you telling me you came back here fully aware of the fact that this was where your shipmates were decimated and just waited for something to find you?”

“Yep.” There was a moment of silence as the siren studied him.

“I take it back, you’re not unlucky, you’re just a gigantic idiot. You’d really risk your life to come find a monster that almost killed you?”

“No.” Gon answered immediately. “I risked my life to find the siren that didn’t kill me, and ask him ‘why’.” And for the third time since waking up, Gon seemed to have shocked the siren into silence.  Gon leaned forward, nothing but seriousness glinting in his eyes, and locked the siren’s gaze with his. “Why didn’t you kill me?” The siren stared back for a few moments, mouth open in disbelief, then he swallowed and broke eye contact, shifting uncomfortably under Gon’s gaze. He closed his eyes as he answered.

“You looked unappetizing.”

It was an obvious lie, Gon could tell that easily, but he could also tell from the stubborn look on the other boy’s face that he wasn’t going to concede easily, so Gon let the subject drop. They both fell silent and all Gon could hear was the sound of the waves crashing somewhere below him.

“What’s your name?” The siren allowed his eyes to open a bit, but kept them fixed on the rough cave floor. He didn’t answer, and Gon had a feeling he wasn’t going to. He continued. “I’m Gon.”

The siren still didn’t look at him. “I know.” That’s right. Back on the ship he’d called Gon’s name. That’s how it’d started.

“Right…” Gon hesitated. “How did you know my name?” The siren shifted slightly, looking at Gon from the corner of his eye.

“We were watching the ship for hours before we attacked it. I heard one of the other sailors call you down from the crow's nest. I thought knowing your name might be helpful for enchanting you.” Gon laughed a little at this.

“I guess it worked. That really caught my attention.” The siren had grown silent again, and Gon saw that his gaze was back on the floor now. As Gon watched he stood up and moved towards the front of the cave, looking out.

“You should go back to the mainland.” Gon tilted his head, watching the siren.

“Why?” The siren didn’t turn to look at him, but Gon could see his shoulder tense, probably in aggravation.

“Because you should.”

“Will you meet me here again?” Gon didn’t miss a beat, the siren whirled around to look at him and Gon stood up to face him. “If I leave will you agree to meet me here again in three days?” The siren stared at him like he’d just grown two heads.

“Are you kidding me? Both times we’ve met you nearly died, and you still want to come back? Just how much of an idiot are you?”

“A big one.” Gon answered without hesitation. “So will you meet me again?” The siren spat out a response so fast it seemed to almost choke him.

“No! No way in hell! My family will get suspicious and if they come looking for me and find me here with you, who knows what they’ll think! We’ll be cornered in here with no way to escape!”

“That’s not true.” Gon rebutted and pointed behind him to the pool at the back of the cave without taking his eyes off the siren. “That pool is connected to the ocean, I can tell because the water is slightly cloudier than the other two, so it’s saltwater. That’s why you chose this way right? Because of the convenient escape route?” This halted the siren’s words and he flushed a bit pink at having been found out. After a pause, Gon tried his luck. “So will you meet me again?”

The siren didn’t answer, just looked back out of the cave clenching his fists. The silence spanned for a few seconds before the siren broke it, simply stating “I’m going now.” and jumping from Gon’s sight. Gon started and stumbled to the mouth of the cave, but the siren had already disappeared beneath the churning water. Before Gon even had a chance to feel disappointed a small voice whispered inside his head: _“My name is Killua.”_ and Gon couldn’t help the wide grin that broke out across his face, because he just knew that he’d won.

 


	3. Race You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha I took so long on this chapter I'm sorry

It took Gon about a day to get back to the mainland, which left him forty eight hours to kill before his siren, Killua, had agreed to meet him again. He allotted to spend that time restlessly wandering around the town he’d docked in. He couldn't go back to his town. He couldn’t risk his friends catching word of his return, or worse running into them. They’d want to hear all about his latest adventure, and he had absolutely no idea what to tell them.

He was slightly terrified of how they'd react if they found out where he’d been, what he’d been doing, and particularly, who he’d been with, but he didn’t like the idea of lying to them. They’d probably see right through it if he did anyway. Gon was a terrible liar. So he figured it was best to try and avoid the risk altogether.

“Killua.” He spoke to himself, testing the name, tasting it. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue.

A few people glanced his way as he wandered into a market area, but no one bothered him. The delicious aromas of various food stands suddenly assaulted his sensitive nose, and Gon was reminded painfully that he’d run out of food about halfway to the Barren sea. He shoved a hand into his pocket for his wallet, only to remember the last of his money was bobbing safely against the docks a mile away. Gon sunk into one of the open tables, scattered haphazardly throughout the market and allowed his empty stomach to berate him for being so careless. He groaned and opted to stared longingly at the first image of food that confronted him. This happened to be a small stand a little ways ahead selling some sort of breaded fish. A young girl was preparing the dish, he watched her hands carefully knead the strips of fish into the bread crumbs and was suddenly reminded of long fingers threading through white hair. He looked down at his hands and momentarily wondered if sirens like fish, and if he should bring some to their next meeting. Then he mentally kicked himself for the stupid idea because sirens ate humans and he didn't have money to buy the fish anyway.

"Would you like some?" The sudden voice broke him out of his stupor and he jerked violently, only to see the fish-woman standing in front of him, offering a steaming slab of cod. Gon's mouth started watering. The woman giggled a bit. "I'm sorry did I startle you?"

"A little." Gon forced his eyes to flicker away from the food to toss the woman a shy smile. It quickly melted back into a frown as he looked at the fish again, absentmindedly scratching at the back of his head. "I don't have any money..." He admitted, only to be stopped by her waving a hand.

"It's on the house." She sat the dish in front of him. "You look like you're about to pass out." Gon wanted to turn it down, he really did, but he was so hungry. He barely had time to strangle out a "thank you" before he tucked in.

Any manners he may have been taught were tossed away as Gon tore away strips of the fish with his fingers and stuffed them into his mouth. He was still hungry when he’d finished, but it wasn’t nearly as bad. He licked the salt off his fingertips.

A glance up revealed that the young woman had taken the seat across from him and was smiling bemusedly.

"So where have you been running around that you couldn't even stop to eat." Gon blinked at the sudden prob for conversation and drew his fingers away from his lips for a moment.

“The Barren Sea.” A sharp intake of breath drew his gaze back to the girl. It struck him how uncomfortable she seemed from simply hearing the name, sitting perched on the edge of her seat with a soft crease forming between her eyebrows.

“The… Barren Sea?” Her voice took on a slight stutter, further proving her discomfort. “but that's really dangerous, isn't it?” Gon grinned at her and she seemed a little taken aback by his bluntness.

“Yep.”

"Aren't you worried about getting yourself killed?" Gon hummed lightly, chewing on one of his nails.

"No, not really. I don't think I'll die."

"Hm? You must be pretty confident in your strength then."

"No that's not it..." Gon tapped his now clean fingers against the table. "I just don't think I'll die." And that's basically all there was to it. There were plenty of things in the Barren Sea that could chew Gon up and spit him out with little hassle, Killua was one of them. Yet he didn’t have any of those gut feelings telling him to save himself, to not go back. Even if he usually ignored them, jumping into bad situations for the thrill, he always knew what he was getting himself into. Killua wasn't a threat to him.

“Well..” The woman seemed slightly perturbed by Gon’s answers. It wasn’t all that surprising, most sailors would throw him into an asylum if they found out he’d willing sailed into the Barren sea with no planning or protection. “Your confidence isn’t going to do you much good if you drop dead of starvation.” She twisted her fingers through a lock of hair. “How long are you going to be in town?” Gon hesitated, thinking.

“I was going to stay here for a few days, but I think I need to go home and get some things first.” He rested his chin on his hand, mentally riffling through his limited possessions to see what might be useful.

“I see.” The young woman nodded and stood up. "I'll leave you to that, and get back to work." She took a few steps then turned back to look at him again. "My name's Abigail, by the way."

"I'm Gon." Abigail smiled and waved her hand.

"It was nice to meet you, Gon, and if you're ever in town again come back and see me, I'll make sure you don’t starve."

Gon waved back, and a grin easily slipping into place. "I will! See you then!" Gon pushed himself up and started in the opposite direction, marveling at the nice people he always managed to find.

 

Gon was not the the best person in the world at going unnoticed. He was alright at sneaking when he needed to be, but in a place like this where everyone knew his face he was usually spotted pretty easily. So Gon pressed himself against walls and listen for footsteps, basically avoiding any contact that would prevent either of his friends from catching whiff of his return. He just need to get to his apartment, grab his fishing pole, and leave.

There was very little life on the streets today. Gon thanked the dark sky and fine mist of rain for that. He was cold, and his hair was beginning to stick to his face and neck, but he was alone. He got to his apartment building easily, but was at a loss as to how he would sneak in unnoticed. He debated avoiding hallways altogether by climbing to his window on the third floor, but discarded the idea quickly, that would probably attract more attention than dispel it. Eventually he settled on using the back entrance and being careful.

The latch on the maintenance exit was busted long ago, but no one seemed to care enough to fix it. The inside of the building wasn’t in much better condition, the paint was chipped and the  lights let out a constant low buzz just audible enough to be irritating, but Gon had lived here long enough for it to fade into background noise.

He snuck through the halls, ears perked, and feeling a little bit silly for taking this so seriously, but he knew his friends would tell him not to go back if they found him. He just didn’t want to disappoint them when he did, because he would. He would meet with Killua again. Just the thought of seeing the mysterious and beautiful boy again made excitement flutter somewhere in his chest. He wondered what they would do when they got there. What would Killua say? What adventures could you have with siren by your side?

Now thoroughly buzzed with anticipation Gon jammed his key into the lock and threw open his door in haste. He just wanted to get in and out of here as soon as possible, as if that would somehow shorten the gap between today and tomorrow. He snatched up the backpack at the foot of his crumpled bed and started ungracefully shoving things into it. Anything he could use, or he thought might come in handy. Any food that wouldn’t spoil, lures for his fishing rod, bottled water (he’d need more of that), matches. After that he stopped paying attention and just shoved things in blindly, stopping once for a couple seconds to rearrange so he could fit more in. When he was finished he slammed his door closed behind him and raced back out into the rain.

More restless than ever he just wanted to run. He darted through alley ways, and ducked under fences, and upon turning a corner, nearly ran face first into a very soggy Leorio. Gon slipped on the wet concrete and fell hard on his back, sending the contents of his backpack scattered in every direction. Gon hissed at the new pain spreading through his body then scrambled to scoop everything back into his bag before it got too wet.

“Gon?” Gon’s hands faltered in their task and he jerked his head around to look up at his tall friend.

“...Hi.. Leorio.” Closer inspection showed Kurapika lingering behind him under a blue umbrella he’d obviously refused to share.

“Gon, I didn’t know you were back.” Kurapika stepped up beside Leorio and gave Gon an affectionate smile. Gon swallowed and turned back to piling things into his backpack.

“..I’m not… I- just came back to get some stuff,” his palms stung a bit where they’d been scraped by the concrete, “so- so-” He winced at how awkward his voice sounded. Leorio stooped in front of him and picked up a few things placing them into Gon’s bag for him.

“Geeze, Gon.” He flipped Gon’s backpack closed and grabbed Gon’s wrist to pull him to his feet. “Did you pack your entire apartment? You’re not actually planning on moving away without telling us are you?” Gon chuckled, trying to sound lighthearted. What did that sound like? How did he usually laugh?

“I’m not, I just might.. be gone for a while.” He tried to maneuver around his two friends but Kurapika stepped in his way, reaching out a hand to push his wet hair off his forehead.

“You’re soaked, how long have you been out in this?” Kurapika shook his head, like he wasn’t surprised at all that Gon would run around in a light rain long enough to get this wet. “Come back to our apartment and dry off.” Leorio joined Kurapika and dropped the backpack into Gon’s arm’s.

“Yeah, don’t think you’re rushin’ off so soon. If you’re gonna be gone for a while, you’ve gotta tell us what you’re doing.” Gon took a step back and hooked the bag back onto his shoulders, fiddling with the strap.

“I can’t. I really need to go.” Gon could feel his ears heating up and prayed they wouldn’t give him away.

Leorio frowned lips pressed into a thin line as he peered down at Gon through narrowed eyes. “What are you hiding from us?”

“What?” Gon forced a grin, trying to think through the chorus of  _‘Oh no, oh no, oh no. oh no’_ in his head. “I’m not hiding anything.”

“Liar.” Leorio planted his hands on his hips, straightening his back to look taller, a habit he’d picked specifically for scolding Gon. When they were younger, Leorio towered over Gon. He was still a little bitter that he couldn't loom over Gon like he used to. “You’re acting nervous. You _never_ act nervous unless you’re lying to us.” Gon shook his head and rubbed the rain off his nose.

“I’m not nervous, and I’m really not lying. I just-”

“Gon.” Kurapika’s voice interrupted. Gon pointedly looked at the ground to avoid his friend’s eyes, but he could still feel the stern expression boring into him. “You’re not doing anything dangerous... Are you?” Kurapika’s voice was cold and firm in a way that meant he knew what he said was true. Gon cringed internally, it wasn’t going to be long before one of them managed to break him, or they teamed up to drag him back to their apartment. He took a tiny step to the side, hoping it would read as him shifting his weight.

"No, I'm not." He was able to say this firmly, meeting Kurapika's eye, because it wasn't a lie. Killua wasn't dangerous. Kurapika studied his gaze for a while then closed his own eyes, not finding any deception.

"You're not lying, but I don't think you're telling the whole truth either." He fixed his stare back on Gon. “Dangerous or not, I still think you’re doing something you know Leorio and I wouldn’t approve of and that worries me. Why can't you tell us what you're doing?"

"I have to go!" Gon squeaked, swerving around his friends and breaking into a run. "I'll tell you when I get back!" He heard them call out to him, but pretended he didn't, only slowing down to a normal walking pace once he was well outside the town.

He ambled forward balancing on the edge of the road. Running was a little bit pointless, it's possible that Kurapika could catch him, but Leorio had the stamina of a forty-year-old man. Gon snorted, imagining the amount of angry messages he was going to find on his phone later.

He didn't want to lie to them, he told himself, watching the wet chunks of asphalt shift under his feet, but it would take more time than he had to explain the current situation.

"I'll tell them when I get back." He told the empty air. "They'll understand."

 

The sun was warm on Gon's neck as he jumped from his little fishing ship to the salt slicked stones that made up the mouth of this cave. A white sillouete greeted him within the cave's depths, it was easy to identify it as Killua. The siren was perched on a boulder, blue eyes glaring at him.

“You actually came?” Gon smiled and skipped over to stand in front of Killua.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

Killua squinted at him, shifting positions in his seat. “It could have been a trap you know.” He shrugged. “You could have come in here to find three other siren’s waiting for you.”

“But why would you do that? If you wanted to kill me, you could have done it already, and besides, you said I’m unappetizing.”

“I-” Killua faltered. “Well, you are! But, you’re still a food source, and there are other sirens less picky then me!” He hissed, a light flush on his cheeks. Gon grinned, admiring how the siren was almost pouting. Killua huffed out a breath before looking back at Gon with sober eyes. “I could have just not shown up though.” He said. “I never actually told you I would.” Gon laughed gesturing a hand up towards the siren.

“But you did.” Killua glared, the deep crease in his brow darkening his blue eyes. He jumped down from his perch with barely a rustle of fabric and drew up to his full height. Gon noticed he had to look up to meet Killua’s glare, the siren was a couple inches taller than him.

“What do you want from me?”

“... Huh?”

Killua clenched his jaw and his fingers flexed threateningly. “What do you want from me? What are you getting from this? What do you expect to gain from risking your life to come meet with a siren?!” Gon almost took a step back from the harsh growl in Killua's voice, almost.

"I want to be friends." Killua stopped, blinked, and swayed back. It took him a moment to answer, he just stared at Gon skepticism glinting in blue eyes.

“You want to be… _friends_.” The emphasis he placed on the last word had Gon tilting his head to the side.

“Yeah!” He took a small step towards to siren, filling the distance Killua had put between them. “You’re really interesting Killua, I want to get to know you.” He stuck out his hand, holding it in between them for the siren to take. “Let’s be friends, Killua.” Killua watched his hand warily, then transferred his gaze up to Gon’s face.

“Really. You just want to be friends. That’s it.” He dropped his gaze to Gon’s hand again. “Do you often wander around making friends with the things that try to kill you?” Gon kept his hand hovering between them.

“No? Wait-” Gon retracted his hand a bit, smiling sheepishly at the other boy. “Well, probably more than the average person, but not all the time.” He straightened his arm again, curling his fingers to gesture to Killua. “Come on, Killua, let’s be friends.” The siren carded his fingers through his hair, giving Gon a brief unobstructed view of his face, the sailor drank it in with earnest.

“This is probably a bad idea, because I think you might be clinically insane, but alright.” Killua stepped forward and accepted his outstretched hand, the grip was firm and his long fingers were cold as they curled around Gon’s. Gon shook his hand and it was weird, because Killua’s hand felt so soft in his and were quickly warming to match his temperature, yet these same hands could tear him apart in an instant. The thought sent a strange thrill jolting through him. He ran his thumb over the back of Killua’s hand wondering at how smooth and pale the skin was, like porcelain. Gon would gladly have spent more admiring these observations, however Killua yanked his hand back like the gentle touch had burned him.

“What are you doing?” He snapped. Gon let his empty hand fall limply back to his side as he answered.

“You have really pretty hands.”

The siren blinked, then leered at him, hissing “ _Clinically insane._ ” before retreating further into the cave. Gon had to bite his lip to keep from giggling.

“Where are you going?” Killua stopped walking. “You said yes to being friends.” Gon turned and gave a wide sweep of his arm for Killua to follow him. “Let’s go.” Killua stayed entirely motionless, it was pretty impressive, Gon wasn’t sure if he was even breathing.

“Go?”

“Yeah, you didn’t think we were gonna stay here the whole time, did you?” By the look on Killua’s face, yes, he most definitely had. Gon _did_ laugh at that. “Come on, let’s just go explore the island, that can’t hurt can it?” Killua looked at Gon, then glanced past him towards the opening of the cave, finally coming to rest somewhere near his feet.

“Alright.” Gon hopped forward a few more steps but stopped when Killua didn’t follow him.

“Come on.” He took another step. “I’ll race you to the big tree in the middle of the island." He turned and gave Killua his cockiest grin. "Unless you're scared you can't beat me." The siren took a moment, then broke out into a wicked smirk, all boyish and challenging.

"Please, I bet I could beat you in a race with my legs bound." He sauntered up next to Gon.

"Then you should have nothing to worry about." Killua huffed and Gon's grin widened. "Ready?"

"Go!"

 

 


End file.
